Carpet trimmer



Sept. 29, 1970 E. A. DAHLKE CARPET TRIMMER Filed Jan. 24, 1968 Il'lll.

iwjiyyiiliiiixvii United States Patent ()flice 3,530,579 CARPET TRIMMER Edwin A. Dahlke, 208 W. Green Bay St., Shawano, Wis. 54166 Filed Jan. 24, 1968, Ser. No. 700,092 Int. Cl. B26b 29/00 US. Cl. 30-287 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A carpet trimmer comprising an inverted substantially V-shaped body and having a cutter blade mounted on a side thereof projecting outwardly and downwardly and extending beyond the adjacent underlying body edge, for reaching into a floor-wall juncture zone to trim a coved carpet at said juncture as the trimmer is pushed on said carpet and along said juncture.

A carpet trimmer, adapted for movement along a wall, having an angularly disposed or sloping blade extending laterally and reaching into a floor-wall juncture or corner to trim fit a carpet to such wall, where the carpet is laid on the floor and the excess is upturned on the wall.

The purpose of this invention is to eliminate the tedious, time-consuming and unsatisfactory practice of trimming a wall-to-wall carpet installation by means of a shears or knife.

An object of this invention is the provision of carpet trimmer means that can be moved smoothly, on a floor laid wall-to-wall carpet, along the floor-wall corner and accomplish a clean, easy, and correct trim cut of the excess upturned carpet portion disposed on the adjacent wall.

Another object is to provide a carpet trimmer, movable on a carpet, along a wall, and having a sloping blade projecting substantially to the adjacent floor-wall corner, for accomplishing a correct trim cut of the excess upturned carpet portion, where the carpet is pressed firmly into such corner.

Still another object of this invention is the provision of a carpet trimmer movable on a carpet along a wall, having a sloping blade projecting substantially to the adjacent floor-Wall corner, for accomplishing a correct trim cut of the excess upturned carpet portion disposed against the adjacent wall, the forward portion of said trimmer being guidable by said upturned carpet portion and the rearward portion of said trimmer having a projecting spacer tab for guidance by said wall.

Other specific objects and many of the attendant advantages of this invention will be readily appreciated as the same becomes better understood by reference to the following detailed description when considered in connection with the accompanying drawings in which like reference numerals designate like parts throughout the figures thereof and wherein:

FIG. 1 shows a plan view of the invention;

FIG. 2 illustrates an end view of the carpet trimmer shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a side elevation view of a cutter blade, per se. embodied in the carpet trimmer of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a plan view showing the operative application of the carpet trimmer on a carpet and adjacent a floor-wall corner; and

FIG. 5 is a section view of the carpet trimmer taken on line 5-5 of FIG. 4 showing the cutter blade extending ipto the floor-wall corner and cutting through the carpet.

Referring now to the drawings, wherein like reference numerals designate like or corresponding parts through- Patented Sept. 29, 1970 out the several views, there is shown a generally invented V-shaped but more particularly an inverted and truncated V-shaped body member generally indicated at .10, having an elongated and rectangular fiat top 11 and a pair of outwardly sloping sides or legs 12 and 13 depending from the opposite sides of said rectangular top 11, respectively, presenting an open bottom structure.

Obviously, a solid or hollow V-shaped body could be used in lieu of the above open or concave bottom V- shaped body, thereby presenting a closed or flat bottom structure.

The elongated plates or sides 12 and 13, commensurable with the sides of said rectangular top, extend equally downwardly and are disposed slope-d at substantially 45 to the plane of the horizontal top 11. Said body member can be made of any material that will slide easily on carpeting, and suitably strong for the intended purpose, such as steel,, wood, plastic, or the like.

An upraised handle 15 is secured on the top 11 by any means, such as by welding.

The rearward lower edge of side 13 is provided with a horizontally and outwardly projecting gauge or spacer tab 16, adapted for slidable engagement with a wall or baseboard hereinafter described. Said spacer tab extends outwardly a predetermined distance hereinafter described.

The forward leading lower corner is rounded or cutoff as at .17 to facilitate travel of the carpet trimmer on a carpet.

The opposite leading corner 18, on opposite side 12, is likewise slightly rounded, see FIG. 2.

Mounted forwardly on side 13 are a pair of superimposed mounting blocks 19 and 21, having engaging surfaces 22 and 23 substantially parallel to the plane surface of side 13 on which said blocks are mounted.

Said blocks and side 13 are bored to receive a pair of longitudinally spaced bolts 24 and 25. Thumb nuts 26 and 27 are provided for said bolts, respectively, to tighten and secure said blocks to said side 13.

The downward edges of said blocks are cut back or bevelled, as at 28 to provide operative clearance or space between said blocks and excess upturned carpeting to be trimmed.

Similar mounting blocks similarly secured are mounted at the lower forward and lower rearward corners, respectively, of the opposite side 12, such as generally indicated at 28 and 29.

A thin flat razor-like knife or cutter blade, generally indicated at 31, see FIG. 3, is disposed and clamped between said blocks 19 and 21, by means of said bolt and nut means therein. Said blade can be slidably adjusted, extended or retracted, between said clamping blocks, as desired.

Said blade is cleaver shaped having a cutting head 32, and a handle 33 extending therefrom. The front edge 34 is sloped downwardly and outwardly. The bottom edge 35 comprises the cutting edge. The back edge of the cutting head, at the juncture with the handle is arcuately notched, as at 36, to receive bolt 25 therein and thereagainst.

Similar blades are provided for and clamped between mounting blocks 28 and 29.

The blade 31 and associated bolts 24 and 25 are so constructed and arranged that when blade 31 is to be fully retracted the handle 33 is grasped and the blade pulled back so that arcuate notch 36 engages bolt 25. Thereafter the head 32 is rotated upwardly so that the sloping edge 34 abuts bolt 24. This positions the blade safely within and between the blocks as indicated by the dotted line positions 37 and 38, see FIG. 1, and position 39 indicated in FIG. 2. This retracted position safely disposes the dangerous cutting edges between the blocks, out of harms way, when said blades are not being used.

When the blade 31 is to be extended for use, the clamp-.

ing bolts 24 and 25 are loosened, and the blade pivoted and pushed downwardly to the dotted line position indicated at 40 in FIGS. 4 and 5, or as at 41 and 42 in FIG. 1, for the remaining blades. The blade can then be tightly clamped, extended, by tightening bolts 24 and 25. The extended blade can be more securely held in cutting position if its sloping front edge 34 or top edge 43 is disnosed abutting bolt 24, see FIGS. 1 and 4.

Operation: In a wall to wall carpet installation, a carpet 44 is laid on a floor 45, with the excess border portion, turned up as at 46, to be removed or trimmed. It is desirable that the finished trim edge fit snugly and correctly against the adjacent wall or baseboard 47.

Carpeting, such as pile carpet 44, may include a separate cushion pad or underlay of sponge rubber or the like; or it may have a cushion or resilient backing, such as latex foam, or the like, bonded to the back thereof. Carpet 44, as shown, includes a bonded foam back.

It is preferred that the above laid carpet be initially secured to the floor, such as by having its outer edge portions cemented to the floor, and the carpet pressed and drawn firmly into the adjacent floor-baseboard corner in cove-like manner.

The carpet trimmer tool is placed on the carpet, longitudinally of and adjacent the carpet overlapped baseboard, with its extended blade 31 directed toward said coved portion of carpet 46 and toward the floor-baseboard corner therebeyond.

The carpet trimmer tool is then forced and pushed simultaneously downwardly on the floor carpet, sidewise against the coved carpet portion, and forwardly along the baseboard.

The downward and sidewise components of force cause the tip or point of the blade to pierce through the carpet and cause the tip end 40 of the extended blade to be disposed and maintained in the corner space behind or beyond the coved carpeting, as shown in FIG. 5. The forward component of force moves the forwardly confronting cutting edge of the blade through the carpet thereby severing the excess upturned portion 46.

The result is a straight undercut trim edge 48, see FIG. 6, snugly and neatly fitting against the baseboard, as shown is FIG. 6.

As the carpet is severed along out line 49, see FIG. 4, the floor portion thereof drops in place to the floor, and the gauge or spacer tab 16 travels on said carpet portion (in the kerf under the now severed upturned upper portion 46), and said tab becomes slidably engageable with the baseboard as a guide. The sidewise thrust engages the spacer tab to the baseboard and thus provides a steady-rest to aid in moving the tool on an undeviating course ahead.

While the gauge or spacer tab holds the rear end of the trimmer tool spaced from the baseboard, the front end of the trimmer tool has its side guide edge 50 held spaced from the baseboard a substantially corresponding distance by the intervening coved carpet, thereby orienting the straight edge 50 parallel to the baseboard. As a result, the intermediate fixed blade 31 travels along a path that is parallel to the floor-baseboard juncture, axis or corner, thereby ensuring a straight and correct trim cut.

The sloping disposition of the blade, plus the compressed upper portion and the tensed or stretched lower portion of the coved foam rubber 44, at the cut line 49, results in a desirable undercut trim edge 48 when the trimmed carpet is laid on the floor, relaxed.

Obviously, the thickness of mounting spacer block -19 can be increased or diminished to accommodate the tool to carpets of various thicknesses, and to various carpet cove degrees of curvature, and the like. Like-wise, the angle of side 13 to the horizontal, the measure of the outward projection of spacer tab 16, and the extension of blade 31, can all be adjusted to accommodate the tool to the particular carpet thickness and cove curvature.

For trimming tight into corners formed by two walls 4 and a floor, such as the four corners of a room, the blades such as indicated at 37 and 38, see FIG. 1, can be used. In this event the blade tips are disposed to extend slightly beyond the forward and rearward ends of the tool, so as to reach into the corner, such as indicated at 41 and 42, FIG. 1.

Some characteristic features of this invention are the provision of a carpet trimming tool having a lateral sloping blade; the above carpet trimming tool having a lateral trailing spacer tab engageable with an adjacent baseboard and guida'ble thereby; and a carpet trimming tool having a straight edge along the bottom thereof, a laterally sloping blade extending over and beyond said straight edge, and a spacer tab extending outwardly from said straight edge and disposed rearwardly of said blade.

Obviously many modifications and variations of the present invention are possible in the light of the above teachings. It is therefore to be understood, that within the scope of the appended claims, the invention may be practiced otherwise than as specifically described.

What is claimed and desired to be protected by Letters Patent of the United States is:

1. A carpet trimmer for trimming a carpet to fit against a wall where the carpet is laid on a floor and the excess to be trimmed therefrom is coved and upturned against such wall, comprising:

(a) an inverted substantially V-shaped body member, the lower edge of one side thereof comprising a straight edge;

(b) a cutter blade;

(c) means for mounting said cutter blade on said one side, said blade being disposed sloping downwardly and outwardly and its plane being disposed parallel to said straight edge, and said blade extending over and beyond said straight edge, the cutting edge of said blade being disposed confronting forwardly;

(d) and a spacer tab disposed rearwardly of said blade and projecting outwardly substantially horizontally from said straight edge a predetermined distance adapted to engage such wall and cooperatively orient the straight edge of the above assembled carpet trimmer substantially parallel to such wall when said straight edge is operatively disposed on such carpet and adjacent such coved carpet portion.

2. The trimmer of claim 1 wherein the means for mounting includes spacer means interposed between said blade and said one side for spacing said blade from said side.

3. The trimmer of claim 2 wherein said one side of the body member is inclined at substantially forty-five degrees to the horizontal, and wherein said blade is disposed substantially parallel to said one side.

4. The trimmer of claim 3 wherein the means for mounting includes means for adjustably securing said blade to said spacer means said blade being adjustable from a position wherein its cutting edge is disposed within the confines of said adjustable means to its above said extended position.

5. The trimmer of claim 4 wherein the other side of the inverted V-shaped body is disposed at substantially forty-five degrees to the horizontal and its lower edge comprises a second straight edge;

second spacer means mounted on the forward portion of said other side;

a second cutter blade;

second means for adjustably securing said second blade on said second spacer means, said second blade being disposed sloping downwardly and outwardly and its plane being parallel to said second straight edge, and said second blade being adjustable from a position wherein its cutting edge is disposed within the confines of said adjustable means to an extended position over and beyond said second straight edge and forwardly of the front end of said body, the extended cutting edge being disposed confronting rearwardly;

third spacer means mounted on the rearward portion of said other side;

a third cutter blade;

third means for adjustably securing said third blade on said third spacer means, said third blade being disposed sloping downwardly and outwardly and its plane being parallel to said second straight edge, and said third blade being adjustable from a position wherein its cutting edge is disposed within the confines of said adjustable means to an extended position over and beyond said second straight edge and rearwardly of the rear end of said body, the extended cutting edge being disposed confronting forwardly;

and handle means on said body.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS ROBERT C. RIORDON, Primary Examiner 10 J. C. PETERS, Assistant Examiner U.S. Cl. X.R. 

